Loose-leaf-binder lock.



PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

H. U. MILLER. LOOSE LEAP BINDER LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DOT. 10, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Non. 804,422.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET 2.

PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

H G MILLER LOOSE LEAP BINDER LOGK.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 10, 1904.

TlhllTED STATES PATENT ()FFTCE.

LOOSE-LEAF-BINDER LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed October 10,1904- Serial No. 227,773.

This invention relates to loose-leafbinclen locks, and has for its object to provide a lock for the operating means of aloose-leaf binder, so that when the binder is locked it cannot be released without the use of a key, and therefore unauthorized persons may not tamper with the leaves thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a loose-leaf binder with a journal-bearing of novel construction for mounting a screw means for clamping the members of the binder against the leaves.

A further object of this invention is to provide suitable locks for the purpose of preventing access to the clamping-screw of loose-leaf binders of this type.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the devices and parts and their combinations, as herein set forth, and their equivalents.

Referring to theaccompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several views, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a loose-leaf binder embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the clamping-back frame. Fig. 3 is a section thereof on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the lock employed in the construction shown in Fig. 1, the casing thereof being sectioned. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the lock and the parts relating thereto on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a key suitable for operating the lock illustrated in the above figures. Fig. 8 is a detail view of a wrench for operating the clampingscrew of the loose-leaf binder illustrated in the above figures. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of lock for the clamping-screw. Fig. 10 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 11

is a sectional view on the line 11 11 of Fig. 9, and Fig. 12 is a detail view of a combination key and wrench for operating the lock shown in Fig. 9 and for operating the clamping-screw thereof.

in the drawings, 15 represents the covers of a loose-leaf binder flexibly connected to the angular corner-strips 16, which, as usual, form members of the clamping-back having the telescoping impaling pins and tubes 17 and 18, respectively, to receive the loose leaves. (Not shown.) A back 19 is mounted on a back strip 20, which at its ends is bent up at right angles to complete the box formation with the inwardly-bent ends of the angular cornerpieces 16, and these ends of the back strip 20 are turned over the inwardly-extendingends of the corner-strips to form slip-joints 21 therewith, by which the corner-strips are slidably mounted on the back strip.

A clamping-screw 22 is journaled on the back strip 20 lengthwise thereof and is provided with right and left hand screw-threads at its ends,on which are threaded winged nuts 23. Links 24: connect the wing-nuts 23 to the corner-strips 16 to form toggle-joints, which force the corner-strips to move away from each other as the nuts 23 are drawn nearer to the ends of the clamping-screw 22 when said screw is turned in one direction and which have the opposite effect when the clampingscrew is turned in the other direction. The clamping-screw 22 is turned by means of a socket-wrench 25, (shown in Fig. 8,) which is passed through an opening in the end of the back-piece 20, provided therefor, and engages a wrench-hold'26 on the end of the clampingscrew. The double-toggle connections between the clamping-screw and the cornerpieces assures the latter being moved in parallelism at all times, and as the clamping-screw is incapable of movement on the back-piece 20, owing to the arrangement of its journalbearings, said back-piece is kept constantly centered between the corner pieces 16 throughout their adjustments.

A feature of novelty of this invention is the means for journaling the clamping-screw 22 to the back-piece 20, which consists in a strip of sheet metal 27, bent around a smooth reduced portion at each end of the threaded clampingscrew 22 and engaging the shoulders formed by such reduced portion of the clamping-screw to preventlongitudinal movement of the clamping-screw therein. The end members of the strip of metal 27 are brought together beneath the clamping-screw 22 and are then spread apart and folded upon themselves to form oppositely-extending engaging shoulders 28 to bear upon the inner surface of the back-piece 20, and their end portions, which are brought together again beneath the shoulders, are passed through a slot in the back-piece 20 and are bent in opposite directions to form engaging arms 29, bent flat against the back of the back-piece 20. The journal-bearings for the clamping-screw 22, formed by the strips 27 in this manner, are rigid with the back-piece and being located at the two ends of the screw effectively prevent any swinging movement of the clampingscrew on the back-piece, and so assure the backpiece being kept parallel with the come r-pieces 16 and avoid the binding that would otherwise be produced in the slip-joints 21.

Another novel feature of this invention is the provision of means forlocking the binder by preventing access to the wrench-hold 26 of the clamping-screw 22, so that the binder may not be loosened to remove or insertloose leaves without properly operating the looking means to withdraw the barrier from the wrench-hold.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, a lock-casing 30 is secured to the back-piece 20 and overlaps the inner edge of one of its slip-joints 21, forming a slidespace between itself and the end of the backpiece 20, inclosing the wrench-opening above referred to, which is bounded at the ends by inturned flanges 31. An opening 32 through the casing 30 registers with the wrench-opening in the end of the back strip 20 and is adapted to communicate therewith when a slide 33, which is housed within the casing 30, is in a position to have its opening 34 register with opening 32, but which is closed by the slide 33 when said slide is moved to a difierent po sition. The slide 43 is somewhat rectangular in shape and bears upon the side walls of the casing 30, having a leaf-spring 35 seated in one edge to frictionally bear upon one of said side walls of the casing 30 and prevent accidental movement of the slide within the casing. An angular beveled lug 36 projects from the slide 33 and is adapted to be engaged by the ward 37 of a key 38, (shown in Fig. 7,) which may be entered through a suitable keyhole 39 of the casing 30 for the purpose of moving the slide 33 by means of said lug from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, where the wrench-opening is closed, to the position shown in Fig. 5, where the wrenchopening is open. The pivot-lug 39 on the key 38 is adapted to be seated in a perforation 40 in the back-piece 2O opposite the keyhole 39 to pivotally mount the key, so that when turned it engages one side or the other of the angular beveled lug 36 on the slide 33 and forces said slide to move in the casing against the friction produced by the spring 35 to lock or unlock the binder by closing or opening the wrench-opening.

In the modified form of lock for the clamping-screw, as shown in Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, the casing 30 is omitted entirely. and

the wrench-opening through the end portion of the back-piece 20 has fitted therein a cylindrical tubular plug 41, with an annular shoulder 42 bearing on the surface of the backpiece 20. A tubular nut 43 rotatably fits within the plug 41 and is confined between the head of said plug and an internal annular flange 44 at the inner end thereof. The plug 41 with its internal tubular nut 43 are adapted to be entered through the opening in the back-piece 20 and receive within them the end of the clamping-screw 22 with the wrenchhold 26, and the plug 41 is provided with a notch 45 in its edge to receive the shoulders 28 of the bearing 27 of said clamping-screw, so that the bearing 27 may enter the end of the plug 41 as far as the annular flange 44 and prevent said plug from turning by the engagement therewith. The clamping-screw 22 has a threaded portion between the bearing 27 and the wrench-hold 26, which is flattened at 46 on opposite sides, and the nut 43 is provided with internal threads to mesh with these threads of the clamping-screw; but the threads of the nut are omitted on opposite sides thereof, so that it may be freely entered upon or removed from the threaded end of the clamping-screw when the nut is so turned that its segmental threads pass over the flattened portions 46 of the screw 22 and the segmental threads of the screw pass through the unthreaded portions 47 on opposite sides of the nut. In the closed heads of the plug 41 and the nut 42 are formed registering keyholes 48 and 49, respectively, through which the key 50 of a combined key and wrench 51, as shown in Fig. 12, is adapted to pass for the purpose of turning the nut 43 within the plug 41. The combined key and wrench 51 has a wrench 52 to pass through the wrench-opening of the back-piece 20 when the plug 41 is removed and engage the wren chhold 46 and operate the clamping-screw 22, as usual.

In operation the clamping screw 22 is turned, by means of the wrench 52, until the binder tightly clamps the leaves. Then the wrench is removed and is replaced by the plug 41, having the key 50 fitting through the keyhole 48 thereof and into the keyhole 49 of the nut 43, with said nut turned to a position where the keyhole 49 extends transversely of the keyhole 48. In this position of the parts the plug 41 is entered through the wrench-opening of the back-piece 20, receiving the wrench-hold end of the clampingscrew 22 within its nut 43, so that its segmental threads do not engage with the segmental threads of the clamping-screw 22, the threads of each part passing by the unthreaded portion of the other part. When the plug 41 is locked against turning by engaging its notch 45 with the shoulders of the bearing 27, the key 50 is turned so as to turn the nut 43 in the plug and engage its segmental threads with the segmental threads of the clamping- IIO screw to tightly lock the nut and plug to the clamping-screw. When the engagement between the threads of the nut and the clamping-screw is complete, the keyhole 49 registers with the keyhole 48 and the key may be removed, and the device is then inaccessible for loosening the clamping-screw except by removing the plug 41. This requires the use of the key 50, for the nut 43 must be rotated independently of the plug 41 in order to disengage its threads from the threads of the clamping-screw. When it is desired to unlock the binder, the key 50 is entered through the registering keyholes 48 and 49 until the end thereof bears upon the end of the wrenchhold 26 of clamping-screw 22. Then its wards are in a position to engage the walls of keyhole 49 only, and the turning of the key 50 produces the necessary independent rotation of the nut 43 to disengage its threads from the segmental threads of the clamping-screw 22, so that the plug may be withdrawn by the key from the opening and the wrench 52 applied to the wrench-hold for operating the clamping-screw.

It is obvious that, if desired, the clampingscrew may be made without the flattened portions 46 and the nut 43 may be made without the unthreaded portions 47 and have a continuous screw-thread instead, the only difference in operation being that instead of a quarter-turn of the key being suflicient to lock or unlock the plug a number of turns of the key will be necessary to thread or unthread the nut 43 on the clamping-screw 22.

. What I claim as my invention is 1. In a looseleaf binder having a clampingscrew for its members and also having a supporting-plate, ajournal-bearing for the clamping-screw comprising a strip of metal bent around the clamping-screw with its ends folded upon themselves to form shoulders beneath the clamping-screw bearing on the support ing-plate, said ends passing through the supporting-plate and bent back against the back of said supporting-plate to firmly secure the bearing thereto.

2. In a loose-leaf binder having a supporting-plate and clam ping-screw for its members, journal-bearings for the clampingscrew comprising strips of metal bent around reduced portions of the clamping-screw near the ends thereof with their ends folded upon themselves beneath the clamping-screw to form shoulders bearing on the supporting-plate,said

ends passing through the supporting-plate and bent in opposite directions against the back thereof, said journal-bearings being confined between shoulders of the clamping-screw to constitute thrust-bearings therefor.

3. A loose-leaf binder, comprising a backpiece, corner-pieces slidable thereon, a clamping-screw mounted on the back-piece, means connecting theclamping-screw with the corner-pieces whereby the corner-pieces may be moved toward or away from each other by the turning of the clamping-screw, a means for turning the clamping-screw, said means being exposed through an opening in the binder, and a lock adapted to close said opening and render the operating means inaccessible.

4. A loose-leaf binder, comprising a backpiece, corner-pieces slidable thereon, a clamping-screw mounted on the back-piece, nuts on the clamping-screw, links connecting the nuts with the corner-pieces whereby the cornerpieoes may be moved toward or away from each other by the turning of the clampingscrew, means for operating the clampingscrew, said means being exposed through an opening in the end of the back-piece, and a lock on said end of the back-piece adapted to close the opening and render the operating means inaccessible.

5. A loose-leaf binder, comprising a backpiece with bent-up ends,corner-pieces slidable on the back-piece and forming slip-joints with the bent-up ends thereof, a clamping-screw mounted on the back-piece, means connecting the clamping-screw with the corner-pieces whereby the corner-pieces may be moved toward or away from each other by the turning of the clamping-screw, a wrench-hold on the clamping-screw, said wrench-hold being exposed through an opening in one of the bentup ends of the baclvpiece, and a lock adapted to close said opening and render the wrenchhold inaccessible.

6. In a loose-leaf binder,a back-piece having turned-up ends, corner-pieces slidable on the back-piece and forming slip-joints with the turned-up ends thereof, a clamping-screw having right and left hand screwthreads near its ends, means for connecting the clampingscrew with the corner-pieces, bearings for the clamping-screw comprising strips of metal bent around the clamping-screw at reduced portions thereof with their ends folded upon themselves beneath the clamping-screw and forming shoulders bearing on the back-piece, said ends passing through the back-piece and bent in opposite directions against the back of the back-piece, a wrench-hold on the end of the clamping-screw adapted to be engaged through an. opening in a turned-up end of the back-piece, and a lock on said turned-up end of the back-piece adapted to close the said opening and prevent access to the wrenchhold.

7. In a loose-leaf binder,a back-piece having bent-up ends, corner-pieces slidable on the back-piece and forming slip-joints with the bent-up ends thereof, a clam ping-screw mounted on the back-piece and having connection with the corner-pieces whereby the turning of the clamping-screw will move the cornerpieces toward or away from each other, a wrench-hold on the clamping-screw adapted to be exposed through an opening in a bentup end of the back-piece, a lock-casingmounted on said bent-up end of the back-piece, and a slide movable in the casing and having an opening to register with the opening in the bent-up end of the back-piece when in one po sltion, said slide adapted to he moved to carry its opening out of register with the opening of the back-piece and close said opening of the back-piece to prevent access to the wrenel hold.

8. In a loose-leaf binder,aback-piece having turned-up ends, corner-pieces slidable on the back-piece and forming slip-joints with the turned up ends thereof, a clamping screw mounted on the back-piece and having connection with the corner-pieces by which the corner-pieces may be moved toward or away from each other by the turning of the clamping-screw, a wrench-hold on the clampingscrew adapted to be engaged through an opening in a turned-up end of the back-piece, a lock-casing mounted on said turned-up end of the back-piece and having an opening registering with the opening thereof, a plate slidable in the casing, a spring set in the plate and bearing on a wall of the casing, said plate having an opening adapted to register with the opening in the casing and expose the wrench-hold therethrough in one position of the plate and an angular lug on the plate, whereby a key may be entered through a keyhole in the casing to engage the angular lug means connecting the'clamping-screw with the oorner-pieces whereby the turning of the screw will force said corner-pieces nearer together or farther apart, a wrench-hold on the clamping-screw exposed through an opening in a turned-up end of the back-piece, a lockcasing mounted on said turned-up end of the back-piece and having an opening registering with the opening thereof, and a slide movable in the lock-casing adapted in its movements to cover and uncover said registering openings.

In testimony whereof I mix my signature in presence of two w tnesses.

HENRY C. MILLER.

Witnesses:

T. M. BLEAKLEY, E. C. HANF. 

